Nightmares
by Inita
Summary: Post BD:G. Birthday present for JessicaLouisee. Sahlia is used to waking up with no one to comfort her after witnessing her past - in her dreams. But will that change when a certain someone pays her a visit one night?  light Jiro/Sahlia.


**(Due to reasons, all notes (save for one) will be limited. Thank you.)**

_**Jess: **__Well! I'm certainly late getting this out :D (as usual) But regardless, it's finally here, and I'm not 'dissatisfied' with the results ^^ But I want to apologise: I know you don't like Jiro/Sahlia nearly as much as Shu/Kluke, but... I experienced troubles with the latter pairing: one) I can't write about it for the game :/ No matter how hard I try, I end up bashing Jiro/Kluke and you /know/ how much I adore that pairing for the game... two) I just... I don't know; this just felt right... Even though it is Jiro/Sahlia (which I don't hate as /much/ as Shu/Kluke), some parts of this... made me want to bang my head several times off the wall because I had a hard time not taking ideas from some of my future fanfics e.e Regardless, please enjoy, Jess ^^_

_Forgive me, but some slight Shu/Sahlia and Jiro/Kluke made its way in e.e_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon._

She can't remember a time when he _wasn't _there – after all, he _was _her savior that night. Though it's been a year, Sahlia is sure enough to admit that she's in-love (yes, _in love_) with Shu... But her chances with him are very slim, slimmer than anything in the world. He's seen the way she's looked at Kluke – as if she's the one for him, only girl in the world. And every time she saw that expression on his face, that look of longing and that distant gaze he locked on to the girl with the ribbon, Sahlia would feel a sudden pang against her chest. It twisted and struck out, like a snake preparing to kill its prey with a fatal – _final – _strike. But no matter what happened, she swallowed down the hurt to a minimal level, allowing her friendship with him to overcome it.

But right now, she knows that not even Shu can save her.

A dream is the definite setting; it's too surreal. Though it's the feel and mood of the atmosphere – _how she's stuck again and how that _tree _keeps looking at her with red-glazed eyes _– that frightens her. Even her _house _isn't safe from its watchful eyes. How she wanted it to just erupt into an inferno! Send it sky high and let the ashes soak into the atmosphere! Rid _any remains _from that cursed, sorry-excuse of an oak, and render it to a pitiful stump. The jewels at the general store were of no use (she learnt this the hard way), having run out of supplies after several attempts from different villagers. You'd think after three they'd learn, but perhaps it was when the clawed hands that was the catalyst of their panic. When the mind is in a complete, and utter frazzled state, they go to the first reaction:

Survival.

Sahlia wasn't in that position now, but she knew she would be if she remained cast away inside. She remembered the way the branches – _the claws _– smashed through the delicate glass, tearing away her parents – _they were coming for me... they were coming for me, not them, not them – _from her very eyes. And now she was about to relive it, but without the presences of her guardians. For some reason, they were absent from her dream this time, and it wasn't right for they were _always _in her dreams – good, or bad.

Without another moment to spare (she knows an invisible presence is forcing her out the door), Sahlia leaps up and charges towards the entrance – _her _exit to either death, or another chance at life – and wrings open the door-

-only to be grasped tightly by the barked hand. A sharp inhale of breath chocked halfway down her windpipe, and any more attempts at trying to breathe only brought pain. The more she struggled against its tight hold, the deeper the cuts in her bare legs grew. Sahlia desperately searched for the remaining stamina to scream, but all that came out was a choked sob as she (and the branch) was retracted to the glaring beast. Its eyes gleamed with a cruel, sadistic tint; if it could speak, she knew what would come out of its mouth.

The doors to her death opened wide, and-

"_Sahlia!_!"

She gasped loudly as she came to, back arching upright, pushing her into a sitting position. Her arms wrapped around her abdomen, Sahlia chanced a look at the current room she was in. Dark, but a few pieces of ornamental furniture that caught small rays of moonlight stood out. Other than that, the usual bookcase that she woke to see every day was cowering in the shadows – almost as if it, too, had the cursed nightmare as well. Perhaps _all _of the inanimate things in her room absorbed the fear and emotions... Maybe _that's _why she couldn't see...

Either that, or she was just losing her head.

"Um... Sahlia? Are you okay?" The voice came from her right and in a stimulus reaction, her head snapped in the direction of the noise.

Jiro.

She wasn't used to waking up to those eyes (never mind paying them much attention during the day), but right now, she needed all the comfort she could get... And that was a _lot_. "J-Jiro?" Sahlia stuttered, reaching out a hand to confirm he was there. When the thin fingers brushed lightly over a clothed forearm, and then the thumbnail as she pulled back, Sahlia breathed out a sigh of relief. "Sorry... I just had a bad dream, that's all..." She averted her gaze, albeit slightly embarrassed – but for _what reason_? Was the response too childish for her conscious?

"It's alright," He pushes himself off the mattress, the bed springs creaking from the sudden weight loss – though there wasn't much _lost_, per say; Jiro didn't weight as much as he should at his age. He seemed to hesitate, glancing briefly at the door, but whatever plan he had in mind, he abandoned it, facing her instead. "What was it that you dreamed about?" Upon noticing her quiet response, he applied, "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. Really, I don't mean to pry."

Instantly, Sahlia shook her head, her eyes meeting his. "No! It's fine, really, I was just..." she sighed. "It was about that... _monster _back in my village... I can never _escape _him when I _do _dream about..." She cuts herself off, unable to continue – if she was going to nose-dive into the rest, it would involve a lot of tears because bad memories just brought on more and more hurt. And although it was a small increment, something so trivial could bring an uprising inside of her, saddened, and (to a lesser degree) angry.

But yet...

She _needs _someone with her... The whole idea of going back to sleep's grasp is an option she does not desire to wager – she just wants to talk to someone (_him_). But it seems she can save her breath to ask for his attention is wrapped around her, luring him towards her. So, bravely or rashly, Sahlia requests, "C-Could you s-stay with me, Jiro? I... I can't go back to sleep," (_I don't want too_) "And I just want to talk..."

Much obliged (and somewhat astonished), he gave a shaky nod and responded with a single word:

"Yes."

**_~.~.~._**

**A/N:** _Edit: I'm sorry for those who saw the random words at the bottom of this page -.- I thought I got rid of them... They're gone now, but I may use them in a futue one shot :)_

_~.~.~. Happy Birthday, Jess! ~.~.~._

**~ Inita**


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